Power, Blood, Steel, and Shadow
by TheName6972
Summary: Power to control that which doesn't wish to be controlled. Blood with which you pay to pave the way to victory. Steel that carves your path and paves your roads. Shadow that protects you from your enemies. Four strangers find their way into the world of Remnant. These four are the tools that can topple kings, and raise thrones. Will they learn to be human? Do they have to be?


**This is my first attempt at a fanfiction, and I'd welcome feedback and constructive criticism. This is going to be sort of a crossover for an original book I am actually writing. I'm going to be making drastic changes to the 'Markmars' for this story so they can fit well into RWBY cannon, so if I do ever manage to get it finished and published, which I will admit is bloody unlikely, and if you guys happen to read it, which may be slightly more likely, then you could expect some big differences. The canon for the universe however, will be more or less the same, which is what I would really appreciate feedback on. If you've read this far, please enjoy!**

"User Interface unit designated ANA online. Greetings General Jefferson! How may I assist you today? Of course ma'am! Presenting the Timeline of Markmar development, operation, and events as agreed on by the Official Center of Markmar Development and Research."

May 2005: Project Blue Brain is founded with the aim of studying the brain's architectural and functional principles. One of the set goals of the project was to create an artificial human brain. The project was headed by the founding director Henry Markram.

September 2018: A Switzerland Expedition in Africa discovers the unnamed Promethean device, the origin and function of which also remaining unidentified by the team. Upon their return to Switzerland, the device was turned into Franklin University for study.

March 2019: A computer in Franklin University began acting up, and the issue was reported to the staff by a student, and further scrutiny revealed attempts to communicate by the computer itself. Shortly after the observation, the computer overheated, and its CPU melted within its casing. No source was identified.

June 2019: After eight more similar events occurring, a connection was made to the device brought in nine months earlier. The theory was confirmed when the device was relocated and the incidents moved as well. The device was officially labeled as being able to grant sentience to devices. The device was officially turned over to Project Blue Brain.

July 2019: Project Blue Brain begins attempting to design devices capable of clearly communicating, and surviving increased contact with the device, officially named the Promethean device.

August 2019: A Blue Brain prototype clearly articulated to the Research team desires for a real body. Like all prototypes before, the device broke down shortly afterwards.

August 2019: Henry Markram suggests moving from mechanical to biological attempts to make a body capable of holding a consciousness made by the Promethean device.

July 2020-April 2021: An artificial human embryo is made and put in close proximity of the device. To the surprise of the research team, the embryo started developing and growing at a rapid rate. At the end of the nine months, the artificial prototype had reached the development stage of newborn infants.

April 2021: First biological prototypes is dies of natural causes. Observation suggests it was both mentally and physically incapable. An autopsy revealed the prototype had different muscle mass, bone structure, and triple helix DNA, which was believed to be the source of underdevelopment.

December 2022: Two donors DNA is successfully altered into Triple Helix design by Project Blue Brain capable of producing micronutrients the biological prototypes required. A new prototype is currently in development.

February 2024: Markram discovers that it is possible to drastically increase mental and physical development through the use of the Promethean device, and several porotypes have been through various stages of development to observe the effect increasing development had on the prototypes. A technique used in cloning has been applied to teach them languages before they are woken up for the first time, or 'born'.

March 2024: The oldest prototype, at the estimated physical and mental age of eighteen, was woken up by Markram. He has been named Adam by the research team.

July 2024: Adam has shown behavior considered normal for a teenager, and interacts with those around him awkwardly, yet is capable of regular social interaction. He has developed a father-son connection with Dr. Markram as described by the research team.

January 2026: The headquarters for Project Blue Brain was put under attack by an unidentified black operations team. Dr. Markram was killed during the attack, but the team was successfully forced to retreat singlehandedly by Adam, who displayed superhuman speed, strength, and was able to successfully defend himself from firearms and physical strikes through the use of an as of now unidentified energy barrier, akin to a force field.

January 2026: The source of Adam's superhuman powers have been identified. His muscle tissue is 2.7 times denser then human muscle tissue, and his bone structure is restructured to account for extra weight. The barrier's energy has been identified as the same one utilized by the Promethean device, which is similar to dark matter. The substance has been named Blue Matter. Adam has currently entered a grieving state, and is believed to be depressed.

April 2026: The organization responsible for the attack makes an official request to Switzerland via the UN, demanding all prototypes, research, and devices related to project Blue Brain, and for the country to retain no copies of the information discovered during the project. The UN forced the country to comply with the demand. Doctor Hammond, former co-director for Project Blue Brain, is officially ordered to completely decommission the project, and turn over all resources to the unknown organization.

May 2026: Hammond sabotages the biological prototypes, resulting in quick deaths and rapid decay, makes illegal unofficial copies of the research, intentionally omits important information from the official copies, and constructs an incomplete copy of the Promethean device, claiming the original had been damaged by the attack. He turns over the sabatoged works, and takes the complete ones underground with full intentions of restarting the project with different goals. With no practical sources to judge the information provided, the unknown organization concludes that the project is completely dead, and quickly moves on.

January 2027: Hammond starts making combat ready prototypes in secret, and receives funding from underground criminal organizations by promising super soldiers if the project should be successful.

July 2029: An underground political campaign is started in several African countries, spreading rumors of the evolution of humanity, and the next inheritors of the Earth. The movement gains a surprising amount of support.

October 2034: Hammond begins field testing new prototypes, having them perform high end assassinations, high risk bank robberies, and even military sabotage. No end goal for these actions could be identified.

November 2035: During a bank heist, one of the perpetrators shows clear indication of superhuman ability, which is linked to Project Blue Brain by the unknown organization that attacked it. Further investigation reveals that several former members of Project Blue Brain are dead or missing, including Dr. Hammond. The organization begins an investigation to find the whereabouts of the new project, now located in China.

July 2036: A leak in the UN reveals the existence of these super humans to the entire world. A debate begins between various nations, discussing the use of, or elimination of this new species, with several nations supporting both sides, and several more resting in between. When it is clear no middle ground can be found several nations begin searching for the new location of the project independent of each other.

November 2036: Three factions are formed, and the UN is broken apart. Lance, the European and Middle Eastern countries which were in favor of completely eliminating the new species, led by Italy. Every Asian country minus Korea and Japan joined Control, led by the Fascist State of Mahaan-India, which supported the use of the new species as weapons of war. The final faction was the New American Confederation, which consisted of Korea, Japan, and all North American, South American, and Central American countries. It had a neutral stance, and suggested mutual existence in which the new species was allowed to coexist.

December 2036: The new species is officially named Markmars.

March 2038: The new location for Project Blue Brain in China is discovered by Russia, and Control officially raids the facility. All the research is confiscated and the Promethean device is seized by Mahaan-India. Control begins official development of Markmar operators for military operation.

June 2038: 20 Markmars developed by Hammond flee to Africa, and gather a following, declaring their intents to be the next dominant species of Earth.

May 2039: The Pope calls a crusade against Markmars, calling the artificial humans and the technology used to create them works of the Devil. Lance and Control officially declare war, starting WWIII.

December 2042: Markmars are officially deployed into combat by Control against Lance, drastically turning the tide of the war.

February 2045: The President of Mahaan-India declares his intention to control most of the known world through the use of Markmars. The NAC officially allies with Lance and joins WWIII

April 2048: On the losing end of WWIII, a group of radical Catholics seize control of a British military base, and through the use of three nuclear and 38 orbital kinetic strikes, completely obliterate the entirety of Africa which had unified under a Markmar run government. Over1.5 Billion people die during the event, a majority of which were non-combatants.

May 2048: Control occupies the last of Lance territory, and the NAC threatens complete global annihilation in response to any invasion performed by Control. WWIII officially ends, but the last two factions enter a cold war. Control is unable to make any real headway due to threats of superweapons, and the isolation of the NAC. Markmars, who appear human in all ways except for more variety in pigmentation in eye color and hair color, are reutilized as infiltration and sabotage units to attempt and Neuter the military of the NAC.

September 2300: I.E.A Mission report 6774 - Markmar I.E.A Team P.B.S.S discovers a Promethean device in Brazil held by the NAC. They determine its purpose is for large scale destruction, and report its capabilities back to I.S.A command. They are ordered to bring it back. Team P.B.S.S blatantly refuses to follow their orders, and go rogue. An orbital Kinetic Strike is launched on the city during a lightning storm that has completely cut the city off from the rest of the world. During the time of destruction, a blitz team was intended to enter the city and retrieve the device before the attack could be responded to. The President intended to use the device to completely obliterate the NAC before they could strike back, but the device was destroyed, and all contact with P.B.S.S has been lost, and they are presumed terminated.

September 2300: Markmar Development and Research Report 436788 – The rogue Markmars resurfaced in a blitz strike against the building where new Markmar units are developed. The original Promethean device, as well as Markmar Informer UI ANA were stolen. The team has gone underground once more, and attempts to find them have been called off. There are an estimated three and a half hours currently before NAC responds to the superweapon strike on Brazil. Should they respond with superweapons as well, there will be a nuclear holocaust. There is an estimated 0% chance for the continuation of the Human species and the Markmar species.

"This is the last official update to this unit before contingency plans for worldwide destruction were commenced. Thank you for your time! I hope I was able to help?"

"Yes Ana. You were."


End file.
